The present invention relates to security systems, and more particularly to a system for the prevention of armed robberies and the apprehension of armed robbers.
In these troubled times, armed robbery has become a plague upon retail business establishments. The occurrence of armed robberies is continually on the rise as a result of widespread drug abuse, unemployment, and dwindling governmental resources for patrol, investigation, and enforcement. The problems created by armed robberies include possible injury or death to employees and customers, and the potential liability therefor upon the establishment owner, not to mention the loss of money and property.
The most common means of addressing these problems involves the purchase of insurance, however, this addresses only the monetary consequences which arise after the fact, and does nothing to actually prevent armed robberies. Furthermore, the ever escalating costs of insurance and other forms of loss prevention places a substanti-al financial burden upon the establishment owner, which must ultimately be passed along to the consumer, and in turn makes the business less competitive. This is particularly burdensome to businesses dealing in large amounts of money or valuable goods, such as drug stores, liquor stores, banks, jewelry stores, furriers, and the like, as well as businesses that are considered high risk due to location in high crime areas, or have late hours of operation, such as hotels, supermarkets, 24 hour convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations and the like.
Another well known form of armed robbery protection involves the use of closed circuit cameras, which can be rendered virtually useless by covering of the lenses, or the use of disquises by the perpetrator. Even if these cameras are not defeated, their photos must be compared to those of known criminals, which is quite a time consuming process for the local enforcement authorities, and relies upon the previous arrest of the robber. Using this method, even if the robber is apprehended, it is at a point sufficiently remote in time to make the recovery of lost property extremely unlikely.
Yet another form of robbery protection involves the employment of armed guards. Not only does this add significantly to the business' expenses, armed robberies in such establishments usually begin with the disarming of these guards, whereupon the weapon taken from the guard is sold on the black market, thereby enabling another miscreant to perpetrate more armed robberies. Of course, the guard is additionally a potential viction of death or injury in such a scenario.
Still another well known form of robbery protection involves the use of a remotely unlockable door for the entry and exit of business patrons. Such a system can discourage the entry of customers because they must await the attention of a clerk to unlock the door. Furthermore, once an armed robber is inside and finished collecting his loot, the weapon may then be pointed at the clerk threateningly to persuade the clerk to remotely unlock the door and allow the robber's escape.